The Genderswap Series: Twilight
by The Shadowbearer
Summary: Benjamin Swan decides to move in with his mother, Chief Swan, as a new start in life. But when he meets Ella Cullen, he thinks that he got more than just a new start. A retelling of Twilight in a gender switched reality. Edward/Bella. Rated T, may change in the future.
1. A rainy Day

Hey guys! So to be honest, this is going to be my first fanfic, even though I've been reading Fanfiction for about two years. I decided to write one about Twilight. Reason being that I've always have been interested in gender swap stories, and I've noticed that twilight has little to none! So I thought that I should give it a try. Even though this'll be my first, feel free to give me honest reviews, as I can really use some tips on writing more fanfics.

So this will be a retelling of the story where most of the characters will be switched to the opposite gender, except for maybe a few minor characters. Some of the events from the book will be a bit altered to appeal to the genderswap. You guys can comment on who you do or don't want be genderswapped, specifically.

Well, that's just a brief description on what I'll be doing. Remember to comment on how this first chapter goes.

Wish me luck! :)

**Disclaimer:**All characters, personalities, settings, etc. included within the story belong to Stephenie Meyer. I do not own nor will I ever own the Twilight series.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A Rainy Day**

The drive to the airport wasn't as hot and miserable as I thought I'd be, a decent seventy-five degrees, the clear sky a pleasant baby blue. I was wearing a grey tee shirt underneath a button-up red plaid shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of red and black Nikes. Goes with the weather, I guess. The day would be even better if my dad, Richard, would stop asking me a thousand times to change my mind.

"Ben," he said to me-a thousand and one times-before boarding the plane. "You can still stay with me, you don't have to go to your mom's, you know that right?"

Dad has always been a bit concerned whenever I went long distances, probably because of my infamous clumsiness that tended to get me injured or in situations that neither of us want or actually enjoy.

"I know that dad, but I _really _want to go," I lied. I swear that I cannot lie to save my life, but after mentioning it so many times I have no doubt that he's convinced of it.

"Well, if this is what you what, then that's alright. Make sure to tell Charlie I say hello, okay?"

"I'll make sure to tell her," I assured him.

"Make sure to give me a call when you're all settled in. Don't forget that you can come home whenever you want. I'll drop whatever I'm doing and come get you the moment you ask, you hear?" he insisted.

I can tell by the urgency in his voice that he's reluctant to let me leave.

"I will dad," I promised. "I'll be fine there, don't worry about me. I love you, Dad."

He gave me a long, tight hug then let me board the plane. Next thing I knew, I was off to Seattle.

The flight from Phoenix to Seattle wasn't that long of a flight, only about four hours. After that, I would get on a small plane to get to Port Angeles, and then an hour drive to Forks in Charlie's car. Although I had no doubt that the ride would be a bit awkward, considering that we only talked whenever I would fly out for vacations.

It was pouring by the time I got to Port Angeles, which sucked because I didn't really bring anything that accommodated with this Washington weather. I can already tell that this was a sign of bad luck.

Charlie was standing outside of her police cruiser. To the people of Forks, she was Police Chief Swan, law enforcer of the town. Despite my lack of cash, I absolutely refused to ride around in a cop car with flashing red and blue lights. A good way to attract unwanted attention.

"Benny," she said, catching me with a smile on her face as I stumbled off the plane. "It's good to see you son. You haven't changed a bit. How's Richard been?"

"He's been pretty good. It's good to see you too mom," I told her.

My mom went for my bag, but I told her that I could carry it. I didn't bring a lot of clothes suitable for the rainy weather in Forks. I should probably shop for a decent rain jacket.

"I managed to find a really cheap and good car for you, a nice Chevy," she made known.

"Really?" I asked surprised, "Where did you get it?"

"Do you remember Billie Black that lives down at the Indian reservation near the coast, La Push? " she asked.

"Not really, no," I admitted.

"She used to go fishing with us during the summer. She's in a wheelchair now," she mentioned sadly, "so she isn't driving anymore, so she decided to sell me her truck for a decent price."

"Do you know what year it is?" I asked. I have a feeling that this was a question she didn't want me to sk.

"Well," she started slowly, "I think that she bought it around 1984, but Billie did a lot of work on the engine. It's a few years old, but its a good running car."

"Mom, you know I'm not really much of a car expert, and I don't exactly _have_ the cash for a mechanic…" I emphasised.

"Honestly, Ben, The thing runs like new. These types of trucks aren't being built anymore. Plus, I already paid for it."

Well, I thought, I guess it could be worse. I could have no car at all and end up walking through the endless days of rain that seemed to go on forever. Certainly don't want that.

"Thanks mom, but you didn't have to do that. I could have bought myself a car."

"Its fine, I really don't mind. I want you to be happy while staying here." She kept looking ahead while saying this. I can tell Charlie wasn't really comfortable with expressing her emotions with others. I guess I got that from her.

"That's really thoughtful of you, mom. I really appreciate that."

"Well then, you're welcome," she mumbled in embarrassment, clearly not expecting my generous response.

We talked a few more times during the drive through the heavy rainfall. After that it was mostly quiet. We just stared at the road ahead in comfortable silence.

After another hour, we eventually made it to Charlie's house. I can see that things haven't really changed much, because she still lives in the same house when her and Dad were still married. In front of the house, I could see a rusted red truck with fenders and a bulbous cap. I was immensely surprised that I actually loved it. I have no idea if it actually ran, but I would just have to test that out myself.

"I absolutely love it, Mom! Thanks so much!" I was right when I said that this would be better than walking in the rain.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it," she mumbled, embarrassed once again.

I didn't really have a lot of stuff with me, so it only took one trip to get it all upstairs. When I got up to my bedroom, I could tell that it was familiar to me, probably because I've had it since I was born. The room hasn't really changed much, the only changes being Charlie swapped out the old crib with a bed and a desk, knowing that I wouldn't need it anymore.

There was only one bathroom upstairs that I would have to share with Charlie. Certainly not looking forward to that…

On of the things about Charlie is that she knew when I needed space, unlike Dad who would throw endless questions at me about my well-being. It felt good not to put on a "mask", so to speak. I just ended up laying on my bed, depressed, staring at the ceiling and let my mind wander. Specifically towards school.

Forks high school had a shockingly small amount of students, nearing four-hundred. Back in Phoenix, there were nearly a thousand students just going through one class! All of these kids grew up together. Same with their parents and their grandparents. I wouldn't really be surprised if that were true. Small, isolated towns tends to do that.

I don't doubt that rumors would be flying the moment I step foot in school about my presence in the town, especially my appearance. Some people might expect a sporty, teen blond who plays on the high school football teen. Instead, I was an incredibly pale, skinny teen. Not an unhealthy skinny, but not exactly an athlete.

When I finished organizing my stuff, I went to the bathroom to clean myself up for the day. Take a shower, brush my teeth, then looked in the mirror. I couldn't tell if it was the lighting or not, but I was already looking sallow and unhealthy. I wasn't the most handsome of guys, but I have to admit that my skin was near flawless.

But right now, that didn't really matter. what did matter was what I'm going to do with my life here in Forks. And that started tomorrow.


	2. School Sucks

Hey guys! I managed to get this done a lot faster that I thought, so I decided to post this today.

Hope you enjoy it!

**3/30/15:** I genderswapped the Cullens and did some spelling corrections

**Disclaimer:**All characters, personalities, settings, etc. included within the story belong to Stephenie Meyer. I do not own nor will I ever own the Twilight series.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

I didn't really get the best night's sleep last night, what with the rain pelting at the window and my constant train of thought towards school. It wasn't until one in the morning when I finally fell to sleep.

When I woke up, I headed downstairs for some breakfast with Charlie before I headed to school. Charlie wished me good luck on my first day of school. I gave her my thanks, god knows that I need it. After she left for the station, I got my backpack and my jacket and headed for my truck.

It was still pouring rain when I to the truck, the sloshing of mud underneath my boots sending shivers up my spine. I was used to the crunching of gravel, not the squishing of mud.

The inside of the truck was nice and dry, making me even more grateful for Charlie getting me it. To my relief, the engine gave a loud roar when I started. I then drove off towards the direction of the school.

Forks being a small town, it didn't take me long to find the high school. I parked in an open space and headed for the front office. Looking around at other peoples cars, I was relieved that nearly all of them seemed to be as old as my truck. The only one that looked nice was a shiny Volvo that looked brand new.

After getting a list of my classes from the red-headed man at the front office, I headed for my next class. When I got towards building three, my stomach started doing somersaults, an obvious sign of my nervousness. I took a deep breath when I arrived and headed in.

The classroom wasn't really that big, enought to fit about two dozen students. I hung up my jacket on one of the hangars near the door and went to give the teacher my slip, a woman that seemed to be near fifty, Mrs. Mason.

I guess she was surprised of my arrival based on the look on her face, making me flush with embarrassment. She took the pass and pointed to an empty desk in the back. After introducing me to the class, embarrassing me again, she started the lesson. I've only been here for about ten minutes and already I was starting to feel bored. Great…

After the bell rang, I headed towards the door, but was stopped by a pale, looking girl with oily black hair. She looked like the kind of girl who would run for school president. Never did like those types.

"So you're Benjamin Swan, right?" she asked nicely.

"Yeah, but people just call me Ben," I corrected her.

"Oh, alright Ben, do you know what your next class is?" she asked.

"Well," I trailed off, already a bit annoyed with the questions, "I have Government with Jefferson next."

"My class is near there, do you want me to show you where it is?" she offered, "I'm Erica, by the way."

Just wanting to get her off my back, I took up her offer. On our way over, she kept asking me questions like how was Phoenix like, the weather there, why I was so pale even though it's so hot and sunny there. She was really getting on my nerves, but I managed not to show it.

A few hours later, after a couple more classes, I managed to get acquainted with a few people. A short, dark haired guy that sat next to me in Spanish and Trig who seemed nice enough, can't remember his name though. He invited me to it with him and his friends at lunch. Not having anywhere else to sit, I took him up on his offer. He introduced me to a few of his friends, even though I already forgot all of their names as soon as he said them. I saw the girl from English class, Erica, waving to me from the other side of the room. She was trying to start a conversation with five strangers. And that's when I started to get curious.

They sat in a spot in the lunchroom as far from anyone as possible, almost as if they're trying to avoid everyone. I would have thought that they were family, but they didn't look anything alike. There was one of the two guys sitting there that seemed to have a permanent scowl. He had light, blonde hair that reached his shoulders. The smaller and thinner of the two had a pixie-style haircut that spiked toward the edges and seemed to be the only cheerful one there.

The three girls sitting there the complete opposites of the guys. The tallest girl had a body that belonged to a swimsuit model and seemed to be a bit sporty. She has dark wavy hair that reached to the middle of her back. The dirty blonde girl was a bit shorter that the other girl and looked extremely tired, on account of the dark circles under her eyes. However, the last girl is who really got my attention

She looked to be about my height, which isn't really anything special, not exactly the tallest of guys. She had a bronze glow to her hair, which made me wonder if it was natural. She had a killer body that could give a challenge to the noirette, and she had the most mesmerizing golden honey-colored eyes I've ever seen…

...that were staring right at me.

I looked away as quickly as I could, embarrassed I was caught ogling her like a piece of art. I gave a quick glance at her once more and saw her still staring at me with what looked like curiosity in her eyes.

The guy next to me laughed, noticing that i got caught staring at her.

"Who are _they_?" I exasperated.

"They're the Cullens. The tall black-haired girl is Emma and the smaller one is Jasmine Hale. The blonde guy is Robin Hale and the smallest of them is Alex Cullen. The last girl is Ella Cullen. They're all adopted by Dr. and Mrs. Cullen" He said while staring at them.

I looked back up at the beautiful girl who was still staring at me with her head resting in her palm and curiosity still in her eyes, almost as if she was trying to figure something out about me.

"That explains why they don't look alike," I muttered under my breath.

"They all move here about two year ago," the guy next to me, Jessie I remembered, mentioned. "Came here from somewhere in Alaska."

I can sort of relate to them. They were outsiders in this town, like me. I looked again at the girl who was still staring curiously at me.

"Who's the one with the shiny bronze hair?" I asked Jessie.

"That's Ella. As you can tell, she is completely hot, but I wouldn't even bother yourself with her. She hasn't dated anyone. I guess she thinks that she's too good for any of the guys here," he explained to me, a tone of distaste to his voice. I can tell that he was turned down by her, I thought with a smile.

After a few more minutes talking with the people at the table, me and my new short friend, Angel I remembered, headed to biology.

When we entered, Angel went and sat at one of the lab tables. A bit further down from where he sat, I noticed Ella Cullen Sitting next to an open seat. I can already tell where the teacher will tell me to sit.

Mrs. Banner signed my slip and pointed to the empty seat next to Ella and told me to sit there. Of course…

When I started walking towards her, I was shocked to see her staring at me with absolute fury. Which didn't really make sense to me. She seemed so nice earlier. I made sure not to make eye contact as I set my books down next to her. She tried to sit as far away from me as possible, which made me a bit self-conscious. Was it because of how I looked? Or the awkward eye contact in the lunchroom? Either way, I tried to distract myself by paying attention to the teacher.

The class seemed to go on forever. Probably because of the tense atmosphere between me and Ella. Which made me wonder what was wrong with her. Was this just how she acted towards everyone, or was it just me? Did she just not like me?

I gave another glance towards her and immediately regretted it. She stared at me with absolute animosity with her...black eyes? I could've sworn her eyes were a golden color earlier. I quickly looked away. If looks could kill…

A little bit later the bell rang, and Ella was out of her seat and out the door before anyone could stand. I felt a bit of anger at that, thinking that it wasn't fair of her attitude towards me. I began to gather up my things and headed for the door.

"Excuse me, Benjamin Swan?" a female voice asked.

I turned around to see a cute, heart-shaped face girl with brown hair that reached to her shoulder staring at me with a smile on her face. I guess she didn't care about how I looked.

"Its Ben actually," I corrected her with a smile on my face.

"I'm Michelle," she introduced herself. "Do you need help finding your next class?"

"I'm actually on my way to the gym, I think I can find it."

"What a coincidence, thats my next class too." She seemed happy at that thought, so I decided to walk with her.

One thing I noticed about Michelle is that she's quite the chatter, but not annoyingly so. She told me that she lived in California until she was ten, so she can relate to me when it comes to the hot sun. She's probably the nicest person I've met all day.

Apparently during Biology, she noticed how Ella was acting towards me and asked if I knew why.

"I have no idea," I told her. "I've never even talked to her."

"She's always been a weird girl," she responded before we entered the gym. "If you ask me, I think it would have been great to sit next to you."

I smiled at her before heading to the boy's locker room to get dressed for P.E.

After another hour, I was relieved when the bell finally. I walked towards the office to turn in my paperwork. When I went out, the rain was still pouring constantly. Was it like this all day? I guess I was too preoccupied to notice.

When I walked in I stood frozen, wondering whether to stay or leave.

Ella Cullen was standing at the front desk. She didn't seem to notice that I was in the room. I stood to the side, waiting until she was done talking to the receptionist.

I couldn't believe what I heard when she told the receptionist that she wanted to trade out her Biology class for another hour of the school day. Now I was completely and utterly confused. This complete stranger, of whom I haven't even spoke too, was trying her best to get away from me. I haven't even done a thing to her!

I was so inversed with my own thoughts that I didn't notice Ella turn to glare at me. It lasted less than a second but felt forever.

"Thank you for your help sir, I think I'll be fine for now," she said quickly and bolted out the doors into the rain.

After the receptionist signed the slip he asked me how my first day went. I just meekly told him that it was fine and hurried to the truck. I started the ignition and left the school for Charlie's house through the heavy downpour.

God, I hate the rain

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Hey guys, as you can tell, the Cullen family, except for Edward Stayed as their respective genders. I wasn't really sure how I would go about their changes so I let them be. If that is at all a problem, feel free to comment on that.

Until next time!


	3. Life Isn't Fair

Hey guys! I managed to get another chapter in as you can tell. I also want to give my thanks to those who took their time to read my story, I really appreciate. This being my first time and all means a lot.

Well then, enough of that sappy crap, on with the show!

**Disclaimer:**All characters, personalities, settings, etc. included within the story belong to Stephenie Meyer. I do not own nor will I ever own the Twilight series.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

When it comes to a small town, it can be pretty easy to predict what would happen every day.

Michelle would sit next to me in English then walk with me to my next class, Erica glaring at her for trying to flirt with me, which I found flattering. I got used to sitting with a big group at lunch that included Michelle, Erica, Jessie, and a couple other people who I've gotten to remember their faces and names. Then again, today wasn't all smiles and sunshine. Not that I see much of either anyways.

I was tired because of the damn wind that kept rattling the house all night. Plus it got worse when Mrs. Varner called me out on a question that I had no idea what the answer was, embarrassing me in the process. And to top it off, I hit someone in the head with a volleyball when I tried to serve it. And the worst of all, Ella Cullen wasn't in school at all.

I really felt that I needed to confront her. Most of the night I just layed in bed wondering what I should say to her. But then again, I was never one to strike up a conversation out of the blue. I'm a bit of a coward when it comes to that.

Later in the day, I walked into the lunchroom with Jessie. I tried looking around to see if she was in here and maybe just skipped Biology. I saw that his adopted siblings were all sitting together, but no Ella.

Michelle saw us and brought us to the table, and everyone else joined us. I didn't really hear what they were saying. I was nervously waiting for the moment that Ella would arrive sometime during the day. She never showed up.

Michelle kept following me for the rest of school, like a faithful pet, throughout the day. She was starting to annoy me because of her constant presence. I definitely needed to do something about that, although that might be close to impossible to do in a small town.

When school was finally over, and that volleyball incident still fresh in my mind, I rushed to my truck swiftly, and a bit clumsily if I must admit. Nearly slammed into a light pole.

When I got into my truck, I pulled out a list of groceries that I had to buy for Charlie and me. Turns out she wasn't exactly the best of chefs.

After another half hour of heading to the store off the highway, I headed for home. When I got there, I put all of the groceries into whatever open space was available. I was just hoping that Charlie didn't mind steak and potatoes for dinner.

After doing all that, I headed upstairs for a much needed shower. After drying off, I threw on a grey tee shirt and some shorts and decided to check my e-mail for the first time in a while.

Most of what I got was from Dad wondering how I was doing, if I was settled in and if I liked it here. He started to type back frantically wondering why I didn't type back. I wanted to assure him of me being okay so I began to type.

_Dad,_

_Everythings been pretty good, managed to settle in and got into school. School is a bit better than I thought it would, even made a few friends already. Charlie bought me a nice old truck as a homecoming gift. Its pretty sturdy, which is good news for someone like me. I miss you and love you. I'll write back to you whenever I can_

_Ben_

At the moment I clicked send, I heard the front door close. I hurried downstairs to put the rest of dinner together, me being distracted with the emails and whatnot.

She was hanging up her gun belt when I got down the stairs. I honestly don't think she ever fired that while she was on the job, at least that I know of. He always took out the bullets out when I was a kid. I guess she thinks I'm old enough now not to go off and shoot anyone.

After finishing up dinner, I called Charlie into the kitchen to eat. we sat down in silence for a couple of minutes. She threw in a bit of small talk, asking how my day was and how school was going, if I was making any friends. I replied honestly, saying that everything was going good. There was one thing that I was too curious not to ask.

"Mom, have you heard of the Cullen family?" I asked timidly

"Sure have, Dr. Cullens family. She's a good surgeon."

"Well, his kids...they don't exactly fit in at school. They're pretty much outcasts."

The way she answered surprised me.

"Don't listen to the things you hear about them," she responded angrily. "They're a good group of kids that haven't done nothing to give them a bad name. I mean yeah, I had my doubts when they first moved in, thought that they might cause problems, but they haven't caused any problems. They're real quiet, but that's just about it."

I think that was the longest I've ever heard her speak. I guess she felt strongly what people say about each other.

"I know they're not bad people," I responded quickly. "I just noticed that they tend to keep to themselves."

"Well good," she said "Their dad works hard for this town. She's a brilliant surgeon who is an important asset to the town."

Well fell into silence at that note. After we finished eating, Charlie went back into the living room to watch TV while I cleaned the dishes. After that, I went upstairs, finished my homework and went to bed.

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful, but there was just one problem, at least to me.

Ella Cullen did not show up to school at all.

Every day, I would wait anxiously watching the door to the lunchroom when the Cullens entered the cafeteria without her. Then I was able to relax and chat with everyone at the table. Mike kept on talking about a trip to La Push Ocean Park that he was putting together in two weeks. I was asked to go and accepted, mostly to be polite, if anything.

My first weekend since arriving in Forks went by pretty fast. It was a bit boring though. Charlie worked most of the time, I tried to pass my time at the library, but they had so few books. I sent Dad a few e-mails saying that everything was going fine.

There wasn't a lot of rain over the weekend, so I was able to sleep pretty well.

When I got back to school on Monday morning, people greeted me when I pulled into the parking lot, even though I didn't know most of their names. Still, that gave me a boost in self-confidence for the day.

After English class with Michelle, we walked outside to the sky being filled with little bits of whiteness.

"It's snowing!" Michelle exclaims in wonder.

Well, that put a damper on my day…

"I really hate the snow," I complained.

Michelle laughed at that. And then she got pelted in the back of the head by a big snowball that I had no doubt was thrown by Erica. Probably because she was trying to hold back a laugh.

Michelle bent over and started to make a snowball. "I'll see you at lunch. I got a score to settle." I gave her a nod and headed inside.

When I entered the cafeteria, I glanced to the corner on the other side of the room out of habit. And then I froze where I stood. Ella Cullen was back.

Michelle and the others walked into the cafeteria covered in snow, laughing. They noticed that I was standing in the middle of the lunchroom.

"Is Ben okay?" Jessie asked Michele.

"I'm fine," I told them and headed towards the lunch line.

After that, I went and sat down instead of waiting for the others. I sat there wondering if it would be a good idea to skip Biology. This is ridiculous, I thought, I need to face this problem head on.

I sat there for the rest of the hour, dedicating myself to my self-assigned bargain. I didn't really feel like walking with Michelle to class. But whenever I tried to avoid her, she would pop out of nowhere and start chatting my ears off.

When I got to the classroom, the table was empty, much to my relief. Mrs. Banner walked around the classroom giving each table a set of slides. The bell didn't ring yet, so I occupied myself by looking over my notes.

I heard the chair move next to me, but didn't take my eyes from my notebook out of the fear of her glare.

"Excuse me," said a smooth, angelic voice.

I looked up at her, shocked that she was actually speaking to me. Her hair was soaking wet, almost as if she just went swimming. A light smile was on her soft, pink lips. I was a bit surprised to notice that she sat relatively close to me, her chair pointing in my direction.

"I never had the chance to introduce myself," she continued. "My name is Ella Cullen. You must be Ben Swan."

Now I was really confused. Just the other week, she was staring holes into my very soul, and now she was completely polite? I had to say something back.

"Uh, y-yeah thats me," I stuttered. Smooth…

She giggled a soft, silky laugh.

"Do you stumble over you words often?"

"No," I replied slowly "I'm just surprised that you know my name."

She giggled again. "I'm pretty sure everyone here knows your name. You're the talk of the town"

Of course I was. I guess that I'm the most interesting thing to happen in this town for a while.

"Well, is that a good or bad thing?" I asked nervously.

"Depends on how others see it," she replies, amusement evident in her eyes

I was about to reply when Mrs. Banner cut into our conversation, telling us to get to work. This was going to be easy. I've already done this lab so I knew what I was doing.

"Would you like to start?" Ella asked me. I looked up to see her smiling at me, her teeth exposed. If her smile could kill, I'd be a pile of ash.

"Or I could start, if you'd like." Her smile fading; she was probably wondering if I was insulted or mentally incompetent.

"No, that's ok. I'll start," I said quickly.

I snapped the first slide into place and studied the slide for a brief moment. "Prophase," I told her confidently.

"Could I have a look?" she asked as i started to remove the slide. She wrapped her hand around mine to stop me, while she asked. Her hand was as cold as ice, more so, even. I could tell that she had a strong grip, probably because she wouldn't let go when I tried to pull away.

"Forgive me," she muttered, as she slowly pulled her hand back to her, along with the microscope. I sat there shocked, as she observed the slide.

"Prophase," she agreed while writing the answer on the worksheet

I kept my voice steady. "May I?"

She smiled and pushed the microscope towards me.

I looked through the eyepiece only to be greeted with the same answer.

"Slide three?" I asked with my hand outstretched.

"Here," she said handing it to me. Her hand brushed against mine, almost as if she wanted to touch me.

"Interphase," I announced after a brief glance into the microscope. She took a quick peek and then wrote it down. I was willing to write it down while she studied the slide, but I didn't want my ugly handwriting to ruin her elegant font.

We finished before anyone else. In the meantime, I did my best not to look at her...only to end up doing that exact thing. I looked up to be greeted with the same look of curiosity that I saw so many weeks ago. It was then that I noticed something different.

"Are you wearing contacts?" I asked.

"No," she responded, puzzled by the randomness of my question.

"Huh, I could've swore that there was something different about them."

"They've always been the same color," she answered with a shrug, then looked away.

I swear that they were black the last time I saw them. Now they're a golden honey color that almost seemed to glow in the light. Maybe I was just seeing things then. I was pretty stressed.

Mrs. Banner came by, wondering if I actually participated in the lab. But Ella told her that I actually did the work. I explained to her that I already did a similar lab like this back in Phoenix. Ella talked about the snow and how it was a shame that it melt away. I expressed my distaste for snow and she looked at me, fascinated.

"Why did you move here then?" she asked

"Well," I started slowly, "My dad got remarried last September."

"Do you not like her?" she asked.

"No, Phillis is fine. I just think that she's a bit young for him. She travels a lot for softball; she plays for a living."

"Have I heard of her?" she asked, smiling in response.

"I doubt it. She's not exactly in the big leagues. She tends to move around alot."

"So he sent you here so he can travel with her," she surmised.

I raised my chin. "I came here on my free will. I could've went with her."

"But then why did you move here?" she asked. I honestly don't know why I was explaining this to her, she seemed unnecessarily frustrated with my responses.

"I wanted him to be happy with her, so I decided to fly out here to live with my mom."

"But now you're the one who's unhappy," she pointed out.

"So?" I asked.

"That isn't very fair if you ask me," she admitted.

I laughed humorously. "Life isn't exactly fair."

She stared at me oddly. "You put on a good show. But I bet that you're suffering more that you care to show others."

I resisted pouting like a kid, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of being right.

"Am I wrong?"

I didn't respond, trying to ignore her.

"Thats what I thought." I can literally hear the smirk on her face.

"Why does it matter to you?" I blurted, irritated by her nosy questions.

"That's a very good question," she muttered quietly, almost as if she was talking to herself. She didn't talk for a few seconds, so I turned my attention to the whiteboard.

"I hope I'm not annoying you," she asked. She sounded concerned, which once again confused me.

I glanced back at her. "No," I admitted. "I'm just annoy with myself. I've always been an open book."

"If so, I find you very difficult to read." She sounded sincere when she said that. Or maybe my mind's playing tricks on me.

"Must be a pretty good reader then," I replied.

"Most of the time," she replied with a wide smile, showing all of her white teeth.

I turned my attention to Mrs. Banner when she started talking. I can't believe that I explained my depressing life to this strange, beautiful girl. I can't tell if she likes me or hates me with a passion.

When the bell rang Ella strided gracefully out of the room like she did the other week. I stared after her in amazement.

On my way towards P.E. Michelle followed me once again and started babbling endlessly...again.

It was raining lightly when I headed for the truck. I turned on the heater immediately, not even caring about the loud monster that is the engine. I looked around me to make sure that I wasn't going to hit anyone. That's when I noticed Ella Cullen sitting on the hood of her silver Volvo, once again staring at me with her constant curiosity. I was so distracted that I almost hit the car behind me. I threw the shift into Drive and sped off passed the Volvo. And when I looked back in the rearview mirror, I would swear that I saw her giggling.

Yeah, I'm definitely seeing things today.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Well, there ya have it! For this story I decided to make Ella(Edward) less distant to others and have a bit of a warmer personality when it comes to Ben(Bella), as you can tell with the physical contact.

She'll want more contact with Ben, like she craves his warmth. Also she'll still be cautious of her control, but she won't be overly so like in the book. Just lemme know what you think.

Until next time!


	4. Just More Questions

Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter. Just to let you guys know, I decided to genderswap all of the Cullens. After all, that's what the title is, haha. So I edited the past few chapters to adjust to the change.

Now then, onward!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

When I woke up the next morning, I can already tell that something was different. Probably because it was colder than normal.

When I opened my eyes, I jumped out of bed and walked to the window. And to my horror, everything was covered in a fine layer of snow.

The truck, luckily, was only resting in a small pile of snow. But from here, I can see patches of ice scattered around the driveway and parts of the street. I already had enough problems with being clumsy and falling down at random times. I don't think I'll be able to make it through school without embarrassing myself. I'd rather get hit by a van.

I went downstairs and threw a quick breakfast together. Charlie already left for the station, so I had the house to myself for now.

I nearly slammed my head into the window of the truck when I tried to get in, but I managed to survive. I had to pour every ounce of concentration I had to back out of the driveway alive.

On my way to school, my mind wandered to the puzzle that is Ella Cullen. I was real suspicious of the situation with her eye color. Did she lie about getting contacts? If so, then why? She seemed to get pretty agitated whenever I brought the subject up. I'm pretty sure that I should be avoiding her. But for some reason, I've been doing the exact opposite, and I can't figure out why.

The rest of the ride to school went surprisingly smooth, considering the ice that was covering the roads. when I got out of the truck at school, I saw that there were chains wrapped around the back tires for better grip on the icy roads. Charlie most likely put those on so that I didn't have any accidents; it must've taken her hours to put those on. I had to remember to thank her later.

I was standing at the tail light of the truck when I heard a strange screeching sound. From what I can tell, it was fast and headed towards my direction. When I looked up, I can tell that I was in a really bad situation.

Ella Cullen was standing a few cars down at her Volvo, her face contorted into complete and utter horror as the van speeded towards me.

So this is how I die, I thought solemnly, as I closed my eyes as I waited of the inevitable.

Just before the van hit me, something hit me, hard, but not from the direction of the van. I opened my eyes as my head cracked against the blacktop, and I felt something solid and cold pin me to the ground. Two long white hands shot out protectively in front of me as the van continued to travel closer to my face. I heard a voice reassuring me that things would be fine, a voice that's impossible to forget.

Then her hands moved faster than I could fully process. One was pressing up against the side of the van, bringing it to a sudden halt. The other pulled me against her, protecting me from the crash. I then heard the scratching of metal against metal, and the cracking of glass.

Everything went silent for what felt like hours, but was probably only a few seconds. I started to hear the blurred voices of people frantically calling my name. But I was able to hear Ella Cullen's panicking voice as clear as day in my ear.

"Ben!. Are you alright?!"

"I think so," I groaned. I tried to sit up, but then realized that she was pressing the entire length of her body against me. I would've been blushing furiously, if not for the situation I was in.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice heavy with concern. "Does anything hurt?"

I was at that moment I realized the dull throbbing at the back of my head, causing me to rub it instinctually.

"That's what I thought." Her voiced still laced with worry.

I shook my head to gain my bearings, but the I remembered something. "How the hell did you get over here so fast? You were standing by your car…" I trailed off.

Her face morphed into a passive expression, but her eyes exposed her nervousness. "Ben, I've been standing near you the entire time. I pulled you out of the way before you got hit." The gold in her eyes seemed to glow as she whispered to me. "Trust me Ben. Please."

I heard sirens from what was most likely an ambulance coming closer. "Do you promise to explain everything to me later?"

"Yes, I promise," she said quickly.

"Okay," I sighed.

A couple of students nearby helped move the van to the side to get the driver out, while the paramedics worked frantically to get me onto the stretcher. I almost died of humiliation when they put a brace around my neck. It looked like the entire school was here to see me off. It was ridiculous. At least Ella got to sit next to the stretcher I was laying on in the ambulance, still staring at me with concern.

Charlie arrived in her cruiser in panic and ran over to me as I was lifted onto the stretcher, asking me if I was hurt. "Mom, I'm alright," I sighed. "Nothing's wrong with me."

She left me and asked the nearest paramedic for their professional opinion on me. When I was placed on the stretcher, I was able to the the deep dents in the crashed car's bumper and the side of the van - a very distinct distance that fit the width of Ella's shoulders...as if she had braced against the car with enough force to damage the metal frame. I didn't know how any of this was humanely possible, but there was one thing for sure that I did know.

Ella Cullen was not what she seemed.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

After I was settled into the back of the ambulance, with Ella sitting next to the stretcher, still staring at me with worry, Charlie gave the ambulance a police escort. The nurses rushed me into the ER when we arrived, Ella still following behind as they pushed me in. A nurse placed a pressure cuff around my bicep and a thermometer under my tongue.

A few minutes after they finished with me, another stretcher was brought to the bed next to me. I recognised Taylor Crowley from my Government class beneath the bloodstained bandages wrapped tightly around her head.

Why the hell is everyone fussing over me? Taylor looks a thousand times worse than I do!

"Ben, I am so sorry!" she yelled frantically.

"I'm okay, Taylor," I assured her. "What about you? You look pretty hurt."

She ignored me and kept babbling on how sorry she was and how she promised to make it up to me. I reassured her, saying that she missed me.

"How did you get out of the way so fast? You were there and then you were gone…"

"I pulled him out of the way."

I jumped a bit. I totally forgot that she was still in the room. She stood at the foot of my bed with an amused smirk on her lips. Apparently she noticed my little scare.

"How? I didn't see you...wow, it all happened so fast, I guess. Are you okay?"

"No blood, no foul," she said, flashing her beautiful smile.

The nurses wheeled me away to get an X-ray of my head. I told them that I was fine, and I was right. Not even a concussion, besides the slight bruising on the back of my head. I wanted to leave after that, but I was told by the nurse that I had to speak to a doctor before I was able to leave. So I'm stuck here.

I was brought back to the ER, with Taylor throwing endless apologies, even though I kept on saying that everything was ok. Ella was sitting next to my bed when I got back.

"How many days do you have left?" she joked.

"Haha," I laughed sarcastically. "Nothing's wrong with me, but I have to talk to a doctor before they let me go."

"That's good to hear," she sighed quietly, sounding relieved.

At that moment, a doctor walked in and approached me, and my mouth fell open. She was young, had short platinum-blonde...and was more beautiful than any model I've ever seen. Her skin was pale, though. And she looked pretty tired, with dark circles under her eyes. From Charlie's description, this had to be Ella's adopted mother, Karliah Cullen.

"So Mister Swan," she said in a remarkably attractive voice. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," I said, trying to ignore the urge to rub my bruise.

"Well, your X-rays look good," she said, looking at the lightboard above my head. "Does your head hurt at all? Ella told me you took quite the hit."

"I'm alright," I repeated, throwing a small glare at Ella. She smiled in response.

"Very well. If you ever feel dizzy or have any trouble with eyesight, make sure to come back."

"I will, but I'm fine. Really," I reassured her again.

"Sounds to me that you were pretty lucky you didn't get hit," Dr. Cullen said, smiling as she signed my medical chart with elegance, reminding me of Ella's handwriting.

"Yeah. Its a good thing that Ella was standing by to pull me out of the way. she was pretty fast." I threw a questioning glance at the subject of my statement.

"Indeed," Dr. Cullen agreed, suddenly interested in Taylor's condition, and walked over to her. She's in on it, I realized.

When the doctor's back was turned, I got up and went to Ella's side.

"Can we talk for a minute? I need to ask you a few things, if you don't mind," I pressed, wanting some answers.

She stared at me with no expression for a moment, and then turned her back and crossed the room, out the door. She was a pretty fast walker, because I nearly had to run to keep up with her. As soon as we turned the corner into a short hallway, she spun on her heel to face me.

"What do you want to know?" she asked, sounding annoyed. She stared down at her feet.

"You owe me an explanation," I reminded her.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently, her head tilted to the side.

"What do you mean 'what do you mean'? I want to know how the hell you stopped a speeding van from flattening me!" I whispered furiously.

She stared at me incredulously at me. "You think I stopped that van?" Her tone was exasperated, which only made me more suspicious of her.

"All I know is that you weren't anywhere near me - Taylor didn't see you, either, so don't try and tell me that I hit my head too hard. That van was going to crush us both. But it didn't. Your hand left a dent in the side of it, and you left another dent in the other car. The crash should have killed us both, but you're not hurt at all." I can hear how crazy all that sounds, but I know what I saw.

"You know that nobody will believe you, right?" she said, her voice calm, which only confirmed my suspicions. She knows that all happened.

"I was never going to tell anyone," I said slowly.

Surprise flitted across her face. "Then why does it matter?"

"It matters to me," I insisted. "I just want to know what happened out there."

"I wish I could tell you..." she trailed off.

We stared at each other in silence. I was the first to speak, trying to keep myself focused. I was in danger of being distracted by her calm, gorgeous face. It was like trying to stare down a piece of art.

"Why did you save me?" I asked calmly.

She paused, and for a brief moment, her face showed complete shock.

"I don't know," she whispered. "I feel...protective of you. I just don't know why"

And then she turned her back on me and walked away.

I was so stunned by what she said, it took me a few minutes until I was able to move. When I could walk, I made my way slowly to the exit down at the end of the hallway.

I met up with Charlie, who led me to the exit of the hospital. It was a huge relief to get into her cruiser.

We drove in silence. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I barely knew Charlie was there. I still couldn't believe what Ella said. Why was she feeling protective of me? We didn't even really know each other! Plus she still didn't explain the whole van thing. All I got was more questions, and it frustrated me!

When we pulled up to the house, I decided I might as well go to bed early tonight. Charlie continued to watch me anxiously, and it was getting on my nerves. I stopped on my way to grab three Tylenol from the bathroom to ease the pain in my head. That, in turn, helped me fall to sleep.

That was the first night I dreamed of Ella Cullen.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Hope you enjoyed it! I'll have another chapter in a day or two.


	5. Too Much Confusion!

I can't even begin to apologize for not updating for nearly a year! I had to move during the summer and I was caught up in the stress of my classes. But fret not! I have officially returned and will now post a new chapter weekly. I am also aware that Stephenie Meyer has published a genderswap version of _Twilight_, _Life and Death_. It was a very interesting read. I was not surprised that she had an alternate ending to the story, considering it would be painstakingly boring for her to basically rewrite her whole story.

But not for me!

As you can tell, this story will be half/half AU, but when it comes to the other books, these stories will eventually pan out to be their own thing.

Well then, thank you so much for your patience and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** You'd be pretty stupid to believe that I own _Twilight_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

In the dream, everything around me was dark, and what little light there was seemed to radiate from Ella's skin. Her face was cloaked in the blackness, and all I could see of her was her back as she walked away from me, leaving me alone in the darkness. No matter how loud I yelled, she never turned to me. Troubled, I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep for what felt like a very long time. She was in each and every one of my dreams after that night. But just like the first dream, I was never able to get to her.

The month after the accident was, in one word, embarrassing.

I was the complete center of attention for the rest of the week. Taylor Crowley followed me for what seemed like every second of the school day. I tried telling her that everything was fine and to forget about it, but she remained persistent to make up for it. She followed me in between classes and even sat at our lunch table, which was now crowded. Michelle and Erica were even less friendly toward him than they were towards each other, which made me think that I gained another unwelcomed fan.

The weird thing was that no one seemed to be concerned about Ella, even though I explained that she was the one who saved me. I tried convincing Jessie, Erica, and everyone else, but none of them claimed to have seen her anywhere until the van was pulled away. Which made me wonder why no one else saw her standing so far away.

Ella was never surrounded by crowds of curious bystanders eager for her firsthand account. People were avoiding her, as usual. The Cullens and the Hales sat at the same table as always, talking only to each other and never eating a bite of their lunches. None of them ever glanced my way anymore, but Ella kept staring at me, but with a calculating look. Almost as if trying to solve a puzzle.

When she sat next to me in class, she wouldn't be sitting close to me like she usually would, yet wasn't distant enough to be near the end of the table. Every now and then, I would catch her staring at me from the corner of my eye, but did little to actually acknowledge me.

I wanted very much to talk to her, and the day after the accident I tried. The last time I saw her, outside the ER, she left me in a state of confusion. I was still peeved that she wouldn't trust me with the truth, even though she knows that I wouldn't tell anyone. But that still didn't change the fact that she saved my life, no matter how she did it.

She was already seated when I got to Biology, looking straight ahead. she turned to me when I sat down, meeting my gaze.

"Hello Ben," she said kindly.

"Hey Ella," I responded, pleasantly surprised that she talked to me.

She nodded, then turned her attention to the board.

And that's pretty much how it went on every day, just greetings and gazes. I watched as her golden eyes glowed brighter each day, though I don't know why. We were distant, yet close all the same. I felt content. And the dreams continued.

Michelle, meanwhile, seemed pleased by the obvious coolness between me and my lab partner. I could see that she was worried that Ella's daring rescue impressed me, but she still looked cautious , as I showed neither gratitude nor hatred. Yet she grew in confidence, sitting on the edge of my table to talk before Biology class started, ignoring Ella as she no doubt listened in on our conversations.

Jessie reminded me of the upcoming Girls-ask-Guys dance looming on the horizon. He called me the first Tuesday of March to ask if it would be alright if Michelle ever asked him to the dance in two weeks.

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind if she did? Do you not want to go with her?" he persisted when I told her I wouldn't mind.

"No, Jess, I'm not going," I assured him. Five-year-olds could dance better than I ever will.

"Come on, man, it'll be fun." I have a feeling that Jessie likes my inexplicable popularity more than my actual company.

"I'll be fine. If she does ask you, have fun with her," I encouraged.

The next day, I was surprised that Jessie wasn't his usual spunky self in Trig and Spanish. He kept silent whenever we walked together between classes, and I had a feeling why. He probably asked Michelle if she was going to ask him to the dance. If she turned him down, I'd be the last person he'd tell.

My suspicions were confirmed when Jessie sat as far away from Michelle as possible, distracting himself by talking to Erica.

Michelle was still quiet when she walked with me to class, the uncomfortable look on her face a bad sign. But she didn't bring up the subject until I was in my seat and she was perched on my desk. Ella was sitting a bit closer to me when she did the same greet and gaze, close enough to where our shoulders almost touched. Her gaze lingered a bit on Michelle before turning her head forward. I have a feeling that she knows what Michelle was about to ask me.

"So," Michelle said, staring at the floor, "Jessie asked if I was going to ask him to the spring dance."

"That's great," I said with convincing enthusiasm. " I hope you have a lot of fun together."

"Yes, well…" she she began, clearly not happy with my smile in response. "I told him that I would have to think about it."

"Why would you do that?" I asked in disapproval, showing that I was not in favor of her answer to Jessie.

"Well you see...I was wondering if you would go with me," she asked. Her face was bright red as she continued to stare down at the floor.

I paused, feeling a wave of guilt wash over me. But I saw, from the corner of my eye, Ella's head turn in my direction, possibly wondering if I'd take the offer.

"I think you should ask him, Michelle."

"Did someone already ask you?" Did Ella notice how Michelle's eyes flickered in her direction?

"It's not that," I assured her. "I'm just not sure if I'll go or not."

"Why not?" she demanded.

I didn't want to mention my horrible dancing , so I made something up.

"I might be heading out to Seattle that Saturday," I lied. Honestly I just wanted to avoid the attention that I'd most likely

"Don't you think you can go some other weekend?"

"Like I said, I might be going," I said. "But you shouldn't make Jess wait any longer. It's rude."

"Yeah, you're right," she mumbled, and turned, dejected, to walk back to her seat. I closed my eyes and began to rub my temples, in an attempt to relieve the stress that was building up in me. I sighed and opened my eyes.

And Ella was staring at me curiously, that same calculating expression present on her face.

I stared back, eyebrow raised, expecting her to look away. But instead she continued to hold her gaze with probing intensity. there was no question of me looking away. We just continued looking on.

"Miss Cullen," the teacher called, seeking the answer to her question.

"The Krebs Cycle," Ella answered as we continued to stare at each other.

I managed to tear my eyes away from hers to my book, trying to find my place. Being the coward that I am, I hid my face behind my arm that was propped up on the table.

I felt a blush creep up on my face. That was the longest moment of contact we had in six weeks, even if neither of us said a word. I felt like she had complete control over me, which I don't think was supposed to be healthy.

"Ben?" Even though we haven't really talked in a few weeks, her voice was as if I've heard it just yesterday.

I turned to face her, our eyes meeting once again. I can already feel myself begin to be distracted by her too-beautiful face.

"Are you finally going to speak to me again?" I asked, showing annoyance for her not talking to me.

"I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely. "I'm sorry that I haven't been talking to you lately. I've had a lot to think about."

"Really? Because that only took me a few days to do," I responded, still sounding annoyed. "Well It's a shame that you couldn't finish all that thinking earlier. You could have saved yourself all of this regret."

"Regret?" The word, and my tone, obviously caught her off guard. "Regret for what?"

"For not just letting that stupid van kill me."

She was astonished. She stared at me in disbelief.

When she spoke, she sounded a bit angry. "You think I regret saving your life?"

"Why else would you be avoiding me?" I asked angrily.

"Like I told you, I had a lot to think about," she snapped. Yeah, she was getting mad.

I quickly gathered my books together, then stood and walked to the door. But, being my usual clumsy self, I caught the tip of my boot in the doorjamb and dropped all my books. I stood there for a moment, thinking about leaving them. Then I sighed and bent to pick them up. She was already there; she'd already stacked them into a pile. She handed them to me, an amused smirk on her lips. She really seemed to be getting a kick out of all this.

"Thank you," I said, hesitating for a moment.

She gave me a small smile, even though we had a small fight just a minute before. "You're welcome."

I straightened up swiftly, turned away from her, and stalked off to Gym class without looking back.

As usual, Gym was absolute hell. My team for basketball never even passed me the ball, which I suppose was a good thing. But today I was worse than usual because my head was so filled with Ella. I tried to concentrate on the game, but she kept creeping back into my thoughts just when I really needed the balance.

After class, I practically ran for the truck. Luckily the truck's tail lights were the only things I had to replace after the crash. The side of the bed was scratched up, but nothing like a bottle or two of spray paint to cover that up.

I nearly had a heart attack when I rounded the corner and saw a small, dark figure leaning up against the truck. I calmed down when I noticed that it was Erica.

"Hey Erica," I greeted.

"Hey, Ben."

"How's it going?" I asked while unlocking the door to the truck. I never noticed the uncomfortable edge to her voice, so her next words caught me by surprise.

"You see, I was wondering...would you like to go to the spring dance with me?" Her voice squeaked on the last word.

I recovered my composure after a moment of silence and gave her a warm smile. "Well, thank you for asking me, I'm flattered. But I'm going to be in Seattle that weekend."

"Oh," she said dejectedly. "Well, maybe next time?"

"We'll see," I said, not wanting to make any promises. Although I felt a bit bad for lying to her.

She walked to back to school. I heard a light chuckle.

Ella was walking past the front of my truck towards her Volvo, her lips pressed together. I opened the door and hopped inside, revving the engine as soon as I closed the door. Ella was already in her car...and parked directly in front of me.

I rolled the window down and stuck my head out the window. "Do you mind?" I called out to her.

"Not at all," she responded innocently. "I'm just waiting for my family. She was really starting to get on my nerves today.

While I sat there, looking everywhere but at the car in front of me, I heard a knock at the passenger door of the truck. I looked over; it was Taylor. I glanced at the rearview mirror, confused. Her car was still running, the door left open. I leaned over and cranked the window down.

"Sorry Taylor, Cullen's parked in front of me," I said apologetic.

"Oh, I know - I just wanted to ask you something while we're trapped here." She grinned.

Here we go again…

"Will you go to the dance with me?" she asked.

"I'm not going to be at the dance, Taylor," I said a bit harshly. I guess that my patience for the day was just about gone.

"Yeah, Michelle told me that," she admitted.

That surprised me. "Then why-"

She shrugged. "I just wanted to make sure that she wasn't lying."

"Sorry, Taylor," I said, working to hide the irritation that threatened to seep into my voice. "I'm gonna be heading to Seattle."

"It's fine. We still have prom."

And before I could answer back, she walked away. I groaned as I lay my head against the steering wheel. I have a feeling that the time around prom will be worse than it is now. I looked ahead of me to see Alex, Robin, Emma, and Jasmine all climbing into Ella's Volvo. In her rearview mirror, Ella's eyes were on mine. I could tell by looking that she's laughing at me, as if she heard what Taylor said. God, I'd love to just bump into her car, just enough to scratch the silver paint.

I closed my eyes and sighed, then pulled out of the lot, not wanting to deal with the theoretical aftermath. I'm already stressed as it is…

When I got home, I went up to my room and flopped down onto my bed with a grunt, relieved to finally be laying down. Just as I was about to fall asleep, I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. I turned onto my back and pulled it out to look at the ID.

It was Jessie, and he was pretty damn excited; Michelle found him after school to accept his invitation to the dance. I congratulated him, albeit sluggishly from my very brief nap. He then spouted on about convincing Angel to invite Erica, the girl in my Biology class, and the same to Laurent, a guy at our lunch table even quieter than me, asking Taylor. He then tried to convince me for the hundredth time to go to the dance. I just responded lazily to his question with Seattle again, barely even paying attention.

"Oh!" he yelled into my ear, jolting me from my daze. "By the way, don't know if you care or not, Ella Cullen came up to me and asked some things about you."

Wait, what?! "Woah, hold on, what kind of things?" I asked abruptly before he could hang up.

"Personal stuff, like where you're from, your hobbies, whether you have a girlfriend of not, stuff like that," he responded casually.

"And you told her all of that?!" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I figured that you didn't mind letting her know a little about you, considering your little crush for her," he said mischievously.

My face turned red at his response, mentally thanking God that we were talking over the phone. "I do not like her! I mean yeah she's pretty, but I barely know enough about her to actually like her," I said firmly, hoping he doesn't call out my lie.

"Ah, then I probably shouldn't have told her that you DO have a crush on her," he murmured.

I hung up and dropped the phone onto my bed, hiding my face in my hands with a look of despair on my face. I honestly don't know how much more stressful this day could become. I laid back down on the bed and closed my eyes, deciding to just go to bed.

When I pulled into school the next morning, I parked as far away as possible from the silver Volvos, trying to delay the inevitable embarrassment that I'll be experiencing before the end of the day. Getting out of the truck, I knocked my elbow on the doorway dropping my keys. Before I could grab them, a pale hand shot out and grabbed them before they even landed on the ground. I looked up to see Ellen Cullen leaning on the truck with my keys dangling on her finger, a grin on her face.

"How do you _do _that?" I gasped.

"Do what?" She dropped the keys into my hand as she spoke.

"Appear out of thin air?"

"It's not my fault that I'm quick," she murmured, her voice soft like silk, still wearing a grin on her face.

I was about to say a comeback, but suddenly remembered what Jessie said to her.

I stared at her, managing to suppress the heat threatening to enter my cheeks. Her eyes were that same golden color. My thoughts got confused and I had to look down, noticing how close she has gotten, less than a foot.

Silence overcame us, yet it wasn't awkward. All that was happening was her staring at me, now smiling. Honestly, if not for me thinking about our proximity, I'd find it kind of creepy.

"So!" I said abruptly, "I thought you were pretending I don't exist."

"Ah. That was for Taylor's sake. She was figuratively dying for a chance to get with you."

I blinked. "Wait, did you convince her to ask me to the dance?"

"And no, I'm not pretending that you don't exist," she continued, ignoring my question.

I met her eyes again, trying hard to keep my eyes focused, no matter how golden they seemed, or how flawless and pale her skin is, or how kissable her light pink lips are.

"What exactly do you want from me?" I asked her.

Her smile dimmed a bit, but was still there. "Nothing," she said quickly, making it obvious that she was lying.

"Really?" I asked incredulously, crossing my arms. "Jessie told me about you asking him some personal questions about me. I would like very much to know why that would be."

She stared at me for a second before answering, "Because you are utterly impossible."

I stared at her for a few seconds before throwing my hands into the air, turning on my heels and walking towards the school.

"Wait," she said, but I forced myself to keep moving, not looking back.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," she said, somehow right next to me. Probably due to those long legs of hers.

"You didn't offend me," I said a bit angrily, "You're just confusing the hell out of me, and it's a bit frustrating."

"How so?"

I slowed to a stop and looked over into her intense stare, as if she's determined to find out why.

"Well first, you acted as if I was the spawn of Satan, then you invade my personal space, then you ask as if I don't exist, then you want to know personal things about me, and now you act like we're the best of friends," I said, crossing my arms dramatically at the finish.

She stared at me for a few seconds, then raised her eyebrow. "Are you done?"

I sighed in defeat and put my arms down, knowing that she won't answer my question. "Yes"

"Well then, now that I can speak, I heard that you were going to Seattle the day of the dance, and I was wondering if I can tag along, give you a ride."

I blinked. I was not expecting this.

"Why?". Was she now pitying me?

"Well, I thought you could use some company. Plus, I don't think that your truck would ever make it there."

I never really cared much about cars, but I could feel a bit of prejudice against her Volvos at her comment.

"I'll be fine, thanks."

"Listen, I know I've been a bit odd with my behavior…"

"You can say that again," I muttered.

"..but I'm tired of trying to stay away from you. Now I would like you to be my friend."

There was no humor or pity in her face now. Just her eyes narrowed. Her voice also had a strange heat to it. I forgot how to breathe.

"Well?" she demanded, voice still burning.

I stared at her for another minute, then closed my eyes and sighed. "Fine."

A smile reshaped her face. "Excellent," she said, "I'll see you in class."

She turned on her heel and then walked back the way she came.

I stood still for a second, then closed my eyes and started to rub my temples.

She'll be the death of me.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Thanks for reading! Feel free to ask any questions and I'll have a new story next week!


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